The only serious Candidates to me. Korchnoi twice came an inch from becoming World Champion, and that was after winning lots of Candidates matches and then facing Karpov. He qualified for a third match in 1981 (when he was 50 and no longer could make the match as even as the previous two). He would probably have made that a fourth if he hadn't agreed to play the forfeited Kasparov in 1983.

Keres played World Champion level chess from the 1930s to the 1960s, while it looks as if Carlsen will win the Chess Oscar for best player of the world for the fifth year in a row. As strong as Korchnoi and Keres were, no one would suggest that they were the strongest player in the world five years in a row, maybe not even a single year. But it's hard to see Carlsen avoid becoming World Champion soon.

Lol, Korchnoi definitely deserves a spot. Even if Korchnoi didn't have any talent, he accomplished all that he did by hard work.

that's a ridiculous statement that can't possibly be true. you don't get to be within the top 3 in the world in something without having some kind of natural predisposition for it. it's just not possible. studying/training in chess can bring most everyone to at least 2200-2300. anything above this is probably due to something more than just study/training alone. Korchnoi was a super gm of his time rated above 2600. of course his name tops this list and he should have won that first match.

It used to be that I would also mention Korchnoi but after hearing that Spassky didn't think he had any talent, I have to go with the opinion of someone who was World Champion and would know what it takes.

Spassky was known as a gentleman but even gentlemen can act like jerks sometimes. Korchnoi, on the other hand, wasn't liked by many and had few friends, among them Bronstein, who was punished by the Soviets for assisting Korchnoi in the matches with Karpov. I'm reading about Korchnoi now and--gruff and perhaps unlikebale personality aside--- he was almost certainly the highest performing modern supergrandmaster to never win the world championship.

Bent Larsen a candidate for the World Chess Championship on four occasions,reaching the semi final three times. He had multiple wins over all seven World Champions who held the title from 1948 to 1985: Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer, and Anatoly Karpov.

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